Tiger King

Like everyone else during this quarantine, I have started watching Tiger King, a docu-series on Netflix. It's about people who own their own wild animals and have "sanctuaries" where they have shows and attractions like tiger cub petting. There are obviously animal rights activists who claim abuse and go after these people, but those that own the tigers say that they are treated fairly and live happy lives. The series follows one of the most popular owners, Joe Exotic, the "Tiger King" and his saga which includes a feud with a woman named Carole Baskin who owns Big Cat Rescue. The story takes a surprising turn in which murder may or may not have happened and someone plots to have Carole killed. It's truly a wild story in every sense.

The directors do a great job at highlighting interesting characters and telling the story from each of their own perspectives. It makes for an interesting yet also humorous documentary hearing how each person remembered each situation differently. I wanted to do something similar in my documentary, highlight the girls on my team, but because of everything going on right now that's going to be difficult. I still want to hear their sides of the story though.

They also make great use of old footage. They are fortunate to have all of the old video footage because that is what really tells most of the story. You really get an idea of who Joe is and what life was like at the zoo because he filmed almost everything. I wish I would have filmed more over the years of my team because then I would have so much more story to tell and memories to reminisce on. The producers don't always use archive footage, they also recreated a few scenes, or shot key people in different places to simulate the actual situation. For example, showing Carole ride her bike through her sanctuary when someone talks about the bike path she rode every morning.

The story of Tiger King is interesting by itself. It's such a crazy story that it sort of tells itself. But those who created and edited the story together did an excellent job at storytelling. They formatted the story in such a way that you can not quit watching, you just want to move on to the next episode. They never dwell on any part of the story too long and move quickly into the next insane event. They aren't biased towards one side, they are all for telling the truth. But you know that the questions they ask are perfect for getting interesting answers and maybe getting those interviewed a little riled up. They know exactly what they are doing.